Coking coal



3 SHEETS'-SHEET 2.

F. PUENING. COKIN@ COAL.

AFPUCATION YILED NOV. 30, H9171 'Patente June 39 1922.-

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F. PUENING.

COKING COAL.

APPLlCATlON FILED NOV. 30, 191.?, June 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

naar raras FRANZ PUENING, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANI. y

comme coni..

Specification of Letters latent. Patented Jun@ 313, 319226 Application filed November 30, 1917. Serial No. 204,578.

T0 aZ'Z w hom it 'may concern Be it known that I' FRANZ PUENING, a citizen of the United btates, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in *the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and' useful Improvements in Coking Coal, of which the following is a specification.

ln the preparation of soft coal for domestic and similar uses by coking, it has been found desirable to leave -a certain proportion of the volatile components in the coke for the reason that if the treatment is carried as far as in coke for metallurgical uses the material is very difficult to ignite and therefore inconvenient to use. 'When the object of the coking is' domestic fuel, therefore, it-has been customary tol coke at a comparatively low temperature to stop the elimination o-f the volatile matters at a suitable point. Where the coking is performed without changing` the bulk of the material, as where the operation is carried out in ordinary retorts, it is found that the exterior of the'body of coal is first coked forming a. rigid shell which is gradually extended inward as the coking proceeds. But 'as the operation is accompanied by the elimination of a large quantity of volatile matters, shrinkage 'takes place throughout the body of the coke, and, since theexterior form and size of the body is maintained by therigid shell, the elimination of the volatile matter land consequent shrinkage results in the for mation of 'cracks and fissures so that the product is friable and a large portion thereof during handling is disintegrated. In order to avoid this objectionable feature of the coking operation, it has been proposed to squeeze or compress the coke as the volatile matters are driven off and for this purpose a follower or plunger has been introduced into the retort and pressure applied thereto as the coking proceeds. But it has been' found that the rigid shell formed next the walls of the retort through which vheat is transmitted prevents or seriously interferes with the movement of the plunger and only yields by becoming disintegrated and therefore inA a condition unsuitable for domestic use. lt

' is the object of my invention to ob-viate the objection just referred to and to make the compression of the fuel during distillation practicable. For this purpose the .,coking heat is applied only to the .plunger and to the wall opposite the same, the intermediate walls along which the plunger is moved be- I' ing unheated. It follows from this method of procedure that the rigid shell of coke is formed only on the plunger and on the opposite wall `of the container, the coal on the surrounding intermediate wall maintaining its plastic condition until the operation of coking is substantially completed. ln the distinguish it from the prior art so far asknown to ine'without, however, relinquishing or abandoning ,any portion or feature thereof.

Referring now to the drawing, Fig.` 1 illustrates in central section a simple form of device for carrying'out my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a more elaborate apparatus. for the same purpose; Fig. 3 a vertical section partly in elevation on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a'perspective on an enlarged scale of certain elements of the apparatus shown in Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 5 a vertical section on an enlarged scale of one of the units of Fig. 2 and Fig. 6 a similar View of a modification.

Referring first to the simpler embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. l, it will be seen to comprise a receptacle 7 for the coal to be coked having a stationary end wall 8 and parallelstationary side walls 9 which are made ofa more or less refractory material, such as, for exam-ple, castiron. In

the lower end of this receptacle is a circula- 1 tion block 10 comprising upper and lower plates ll, 12, and spacing members or walls 13 which permit free communication from one side to the other of said block for the circulation of heating gases in a manner presently to be explained. ln the open end of the receptacle is mounted a plunger or follower 14 which is movable towards and from the bottom of the receptacle by meansof a screw l5 extending through a nut 16 in yoke 17, which may be connected to the receptacle by the hooked ends 18 thereon engaging the flange 19 of the receptacle. Any well known means may be employed for turning the screw. The plunger is hollow and like the circulation .block provided with baie walls 20 which impose a circuitous flow .on the heating gases which are admitted to the interior ofsaid plunger through the opening 21, and escape through the opening 22 thereof. Combustible gas isfed from `a suitable source through pipe 23 to burners 24, 2,5, burner 24 being located in an opening 26 opposite the lues or circulation passages of the circulation block 10 in the receptacle, and burner 25 projecting throu h opening 21 in the plunger referred to a ove.v The supply pipe is connected to burner 25 by a flexible tube 27 which permits the movement of the plunger. The openings 21,l 26 are of sufficient Asize to admit about theburners the amount of air required for combustion of the fuel.

gas supplied through said burners, andthe mixture of air and gas being ignited the follower and the circulation block are heated to a coking temperature. The receptacle 9 is formed opposite the opening 26 with an exhaust opening 28 through which the prod- Auc'ts of combustion* from the circulation block fiow into the outlet pipe 29. An outlet pipe 30 takes care of the gases from the follower. Vhile I have described specific means for heating the follower from the end of the receptacle opposite thereto, it will be obvious that other means may be employed for the purpose. The essential of the construction is that `the fuel isheated on thertwo sides thereof where the pressure is transmitted to the fuel and is unheated on the remaining sides. As the body of coal is heated up on the top and bottom a portion of the volatile contents'thereof is vaporized,

the gases and vapors escaping through pipe 30 or about the plunger, which fits the receptacle loosely, or about the circulation blockwhich-also fits loosely in the receptacle. A rigid shell of coke gradually forms on the heated vsurfaces becoming thicker as the operation progresses. p Pressure is applied to the plunger which is slowly fed in- `ward as the coking proceeds and as the volatile componentsA of the coal escape. The walls 9 ofthe receptacle being unheated there is no rigid shell formed against them 511611 as wouldfimpede or interfere with the movement of the follower. Furthermore the fluid .or molten components of the fuel during the coking operation are constantlypressed and forced into the rigid shell of coke and into the uncoked coal tending to fill up the-pores and openings thereof not only rby vthe fluid material itself but by the solid deposit left as the molten material is volatilized.

i Turning now to the coking apparatus illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, 31 is `a tunnel or passage shown as of an ordinary brick construction which is open at its opposite ends 32,33 and of uniform diameter throughout for a purpose which will pres- ,which substantially fills the open side of the container. Each plunger is formed or pro lvided with spacing webs 36 of such Adepth as to provide a sufficient space or opening between thevplunger and the next adjacent receptacle for the heating gases which are supplied to the tunnel as hereinafter described. The containers are heat insulated. as to two of'their side walls, the insulation being shown in Fig. 5 as comprising asbestos insulating material 37 'surrounded by sheet iron 38. The bottom 39 of the container as` well as the plunger or follower and two other side walls are left uninsulated. The receptacles are arranged in series within the tunnel, as shown inFig. 2, after being filled with coal and are spaced from each other by the webs upon the followers. A plunger 40 operated by any suitable mechanism is reciprocated at one end ofthe tunnel, being withdrawn to permit the insertion of the successive containers and fed forward to traverse the containers along the tunnel and at the same time to provide the required amount of pressure upon the material within the conf tainers.- Lf a greater pressure is desiredl than the resistance due to the friction of the containers in the passage permits, a plunger similar to plunger 40 or other means may be used at the other end of the furnace to pro-V vide the necessary counter-pressure. The tunnel is heated by hot gases fed thereto at 41 which enter the recess '42 in the wall of `the tunnel and are distributed along the longitudinal movement of the gases along the tunnel. This movement, however, 1s intercepted by the partition wall 44 which causes the gases to again cross the tunnel between the receptacles into the recess or chamber 45. By similar construction to that just described, the gases arecaused to travel back and forth through the tunnel between the receptacles of the series until at last they are drawn off through the exhaust opening 45. As above observed the receptacles are uncovered as to their ends and plungers, but heat insulated about their side walls and two of thelatter walls are further protected from the heated gases by the walls of the furnace. The material within the contain# ers, therefore, receives the greater portion of its heat through the end walls and .plungers of the containers and but. little heat through the side walls, with the result that there is little or no distillation or coking along the side walls but it substantially all takes place in the layers of coal adjacent the iio plunger and end walls of the receptacles. rlhe effect on the coal is the same as that described in connection with the simpler form of construction shown in F ig. 1.

The heating gases injected into the tunnel through the pipe 41 are augmented during their passage through the'tunnel by the products of distillation from the coal in the containers and are thoroughly enriched thereby at the time they leave 'the opening 45. From this openingthe gases are conducted to a condenser 46 through 'the pipe 47 and thence through `asecond condenser 48 which is in communication through pipes 50, pump 52, pipe 51 and branches 51a with the respective gas stoves 53, 53. The condensate from condensers 46, 48 is collected in tank 49.

Each branch pipe 51a is provided with a branch 54 leading to a burner 55 in the stove to which said pipe 51aL is directly connected. While one of the stoves is employed in heating the gas for circulation through the tunnel the other stove may be in process of heating up by burning the gas introduced thereto by-its burner. Each stove is connected by pipe 56, 56 to the pipe 41 by which the gases enter the tunnel, as above described, and each such branch pipe 56 is provided with a valve 57 by which the How of gases'therethrough may be shut olf. Each pipe 56 is' also formed with a branch 58 and .said branches are connected by a common flue: 59 to a stack 60. l/Vhen a stove is being used to heat the gases'for the tunnel its valves 57 and 51b are open so that the gases-from the coolers 46, 48 pass through1 pipe 50, pump 52, pipe 51, valves 51", stove 53, pipe 56 and conduit 41 to the tunnel. At the same time a portion of the gases,

which contain a large percentage of com-A bustible matter, is diverted through pipe 54 to the burner 55 of the other stove and burned, the products of combustion passing from thelatter said stove 'through pipe 58 and flue 59 to the stack. Valves 61 are provided for controlling the passage of products of combustion tothe stack.

ln this embodiment of my invention the receptacles containing the coal are con- 'tinuously supplied to the end 32 of the tun-, nel and fed therethrough under pressure by the piston 40, the coal being gradually heated as it slowly approaches the hottest zone of the furnace adjacent the inlet pipe 41. rllhe volatile products escape from the receptacles about the edges of the followers and as hereinbefore stated mingle with the heating gases and are drawn oft', their with from opposite sides.

'pair of successive receptacles, said follower follower, l may employ a container such as shown in Fig. 6 having only fixed side walls i and a pair of followers cooperating therevThe container proper 62 may be, except for the absence of the end wall, precisely similar to. that here`4 tofore described, but the followers 63 are double ended, each follower cooperating Vwith two containers. For this purpose the followers each consist of a pair of end plates 64 connectedby one or more webs 65 which will readily permit the passage of gases between the end plates. It will be understood that this form of container may be used in the tunnel substantially in the same manner as the form of container shown in Fig. 5 is used, a seriesy thereof being constantly propelled through the furnace under pressure, there being a follower between each having a head `or plate operating in each member of the pair.

In the specific apparatus described the coal in the container isv subjected to an increasing heat until it is coked to the desired extent. The follower and end wall, or pairs of followers as the case may be, are maintainedat a temperature so much higher than that of t-he side walls that the coal is coked by the heat transmitted from the former of said walls, forming in contact -therewith rigid layers ofcoke which are gradually increased in thickness until the whole mass of coal is coked to the desired extent, so that the faces of said mass of coal 1GO incontact with the follower and end walls may be said to be colring faces, as distinguished from the faces in contact with the side walls to which relatively little heat is transmitted, and adjacent which the mass remains morev or less mobile until the cokin is substantially completed. The latter sai walls may therefore be referred to as noncoking. As the followers are free to move inward and are constantly under pressure, and as the body of the coal is diminished due to the driving off ofthe volatile com'- ponents thereof, the mass is condensed by a movement of its particles in a direction substantially normal to\ the coking surfaces, the fluent components being forced into the pores and crevices of the coal and coke and thus leaving on volatilization a residue therein, and forming a dense mass of fuel which is suliciently irmto resist disintegration under ordinary handling, and contains sufcient volatile residue to be readily ignited in use. Obviously-other forms of apparatus than those described might be employed, the essence of the invention being v independent of the particular apparatus employed and being set forth in the following claims.

l claim:

l. A process of coking coal which consists in `segregatiiig a body of coal to be coked, exerting pressure on portions of the surface thereof and thereby moving such portions inward toward the center of the body andtransmitting more heat to a por- `tion of the surface on which pressure is eX- erted than to the remaining surface of the material. A

2. A process of coking coal which consists in enclosing the coal in a receptacle having a movable wall forcing said wall against the coal during coking, and heating the movable wall to a higher temperature -than that of the walls along which it moves.

3. A process of coking coal fwhich consists in enclosing the coal in a receptacle having a movable wall forcing said wall against the coal during coking, and transmitting to the movable wall more heat than is transmitted to the surrounding wall ofV perature than that of the side walls.

6. In an apparatus for the purpose described stationary side walls, a follower, an end closure opposite the follower, and means for transmittingto the follower a greater amount of heatv than is received by the side walls. y

7. In an .apparatus for the purpose describedlstationary side walls, a follower', an end closure opposite the follower, and means for transmitting to the end wall a greater.. amount of heat than is received by the side.

, walls. y

8. In an apparatus for the purpose described, a furnace having a passage therethrough, aseries of containers movable longitudinally of said passage, each comprising members movable relativelyto each other lengthwise of the passage, means for transl mitting pressure between the adjacent mem-v bers of successive containers, means for applying, pressure to the outer member of the end container, and means for heating the passage.

9. In an apparatus for the purpose described, a furnace having a passage there through, means for heating the passage, a series of containers movable longitudinally ofthe passage and each comprising a hollow member and a follower memberl therein, said members being movable relatively to each other longitudinally of the passage, means for spacing the containers apart and for transmitting pressure from a member of each container to the adjacent member of the next'container, and means for inserting pressure on the outer member of the end container.

10. A process of forming coke which consists in enclosing a body of coal and applying a coking heat to portions of its surface to coke the mass while the remaining surfaces are maintained at a lower temperature, and condensing the mass in a direction substantially normal t0 the surfaces to` vwhich the coking heat is applied.

`11. A process of forming vcolre which consi'sts in maintaining portions of the surface of a mass of coal above a colring temperature, and other portions of the surface below such temperature,- and condensing the mass by moving portions of its particles more remote from the more highly heated surfaces toward and .in a direction substantially normal to the latter.

12. A process for forming coke which consists in establishinga mass of coal, transmitting a coking temperature to a restricted area of the surface of said mass and forcing said area inward towards the center of the body of coke as the coking proceeds.

13. A process of coking coalv whchconsists in interposing a mass of coal between a pair of relatively movable members, heating said members above 'a cokiiig temperature and effecting the coking of the coal by v,

a colring temperature transmitted by these members only.

14. A process of xlcoknii'ig .coal which consists in locating a mass of coal between a pair of relatively movable members progressively land uniformly colring the coal from one member toward `the other and moving said members toward each other to compress the mass as the coke is formed.`

15. A 'process of cokingcoal which consists in arranging a mass of coal between relativelyl movable members, heating said members tothe coking temperature and ad-` vancing them toward each other, without coking the coal between said members by heat. applied otherwise than therethrough.

FRANZ PENING- 

